An appeals paneldismissed theNFLPA‘s collusion grievance Friday, ruling in favor of theNFL and closing out a legal fight that lasted more than three years.
The three-member panel of Richard J. Howell, Martin F. Scheinman, and James R. Spencer issued a 15-page ruling upholding arbitrator Christopher F. Droney’s January 2025 dismissal, which had found insufficient evidence that NFL clubs coordinated to limit fully guaranteed contracts.
Major Legal Win For NFL Over NFLPA
Feb 7, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; From left Lloyd Howell, JC Tretter, Calais Campbell, Brandon McManus, Michael Thomas and Austin Eckeler attend the NFLPA Press Conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center prior to Super Bowl LVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
“For reasons stated… we deny the appeal of the grievance by the NFLPA,” the panel wrote.
The case began when then-NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith alleged the league and its clubs colluded to suppress guaranteed deals after the Cleveland Browns signed Deshaun Watson to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract from the Houston Texans. Smith namedLamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray as players whose negotiations were affected.
The NFLPA’s appeal of its 2022 collusion case involving Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson was denied by a three-member panel in a 15-page ruling. https://t.co/NHPRCouU9N
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) April 11, 2026
Droney found that while the NFL Management Council encouraged owners at the March 2022 annual meeting to reduce guarantees, there was no evidence that clubs acted in coordination. The appeals panel agreed, but did not exonerate the league entirely.
“We cannot fathom these sophisticated businesspeople did not comprehend they were being encouraged to limit or reduce guaranteed contracts,” the panel wrote. It found that the NFLPA had established, by a clear preponderance of the evidence, that the league pushed clubs to reduce salary guarantees at that meeting. What the union could not prove was that the clubs acted together.
Then-executive director Lloyd Howell drew separate criticism during the appeal for agreeing to keep arbitration findings confidential from players, covering communications involving Roger Goodell and league counsel pressing owners to limit guaranteed money.
NFL wins appeals case as panel rejects NFLPA collusion claim
New executive director J.C. Tretter acknowledged the result in a memo to player leadership.
“While we are disappointed by the ruling, this outcome does not erase the clear and important findings in regards to the NFL’s collusive behavior,” Tretter said.
The league called it a clean finish. “We are pleased with the panel’s decision to reaffirm the dismissal of the case, bringing to an end three years of litigation,” a league spokesperson said.
The contract numbers frame what was at stake. Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million deal with $185 million guaranteed. Murray agreed to a 5-year, $230.5 million deal with $160 million guaranteed, though he is no longer with the Arizona Cardinals. Both figures fell well short of the full-guarantee structure Watson received, a gap the NFLPA spent three years arguing was not coincidental.
The panel ruled it was not enough to prove collusion.